Willie Nepomuceno Is Dead, and So Is Political Satire in the Philippines

Willie Nepomuceno, a revered name in Philippine comedy, whose impersonations of famous political and society figures was unmatched, has died, his family announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 26). He was 75 years old. 

Nepomuceno built a name for his satirist take on socio-political issues, often through impersonating the biggest names in local politics, including Presidents. He was perhaps best-known for imitating former President Joseph Estrada throughout the latter's political career, although he also did impressions of other chief executives like Ferdinand Marcos Sr., Fidel Ramos, and Noynoy Aquino.

Nepomuceno studied Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines in Diliman during the dictatorship of Marcos Sr. Even then he leaned into his politics. In various interview, he talked about being a student activist and performing during protest actions.

Prof. Felicidad P. Galang-Pereña of the University of Santo Tomas, in an extensive academic paper written for the 12th Arts Congress at the De La Salle University, said Nepomuceno’s early inspiration “came from a comics character named ‘Alyas Palos,’ whose adventurous life as a robber, Nepomuceno saw as spiced with his disguises of real life personalities that allowed him to evade the forces of law running after him.”

“I was mesmerized by the remarkable impressions of Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler character at the Batman TV series,” Pereña quoted Nepomuceno as saying. “Then I was influenced by the legendary Sammy Davis Jr. and lastly, by the impeccable humor of pianist Victor Borge.”

The satirist began his professional career as an entertainer in the early 1970s in shows like ABS-CBN’s Super-Laff-Ins, and, later, Student Canteen and Eat Bulaga. Although he popped up from time to time on other TV shows over the years, including Ito Yun and Galing, Pass the Mike, and Ispup, Nepomuceno really connected with audiences during his live shows. His uncanny and very funny impressions of political personalities drew laughs from audiences eager to see these figures in a humorous light.

“(H)e was able to mount his satire on the presidentiables once every six years, most rewarding of which was the Presidential Elections of May 2010,” Pereña writes. “He only planned for two shows but the response was such he had to do repeats every so often, sometimes with barely a week in between. Presidentiables Gut Talent has covered six presidential terms of office excluding that of the two Lady Presidents, Cory Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.”

On impersonating Marcos Sr., Nepomuceno said: “He carried a fierce personality but somehow, I have humanized him off his pedestal when I did humor and satirical sketches of him. When he declared Martial Law, I made myself scarce hiding from the authorities but later surfaced when it didn’t seem as dangerous and continued being more satirical." 

In later interviews, Nepomuceno revealed that he would sometimes get warnings from military officials to stop his impersonations of Marcos Sr. to show respect to the chief executive. But the comedian said he would ignore the warnings and keep performing.

“These things come out when there is oppression, and through parinig (insinuations), we are able to get back at our oppressors. Kahit papano, nakabawi na tayo (In a way, it is our expiation),” he said.

After Duterte came into power in 2016, Nepomuceno, for a time, did try to impersonate the famously serious and humorless former President. But, in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2018, the comedian said he would stop doing impressions of Duterte.

“They say comedy is just a twist from reality,” he told the Inquirer. “I think mas nakakatawa ’yung original, ’yung mga totoong nangyayari, their statements. And it’s not just him, but all of them.”

In 2016, Nepomuceno suffered from a brain stroke, from which he eventually recovered, although he said it affected his eyesight. He continued to mount live shows since. 

Willie Nep, as many in the industry called him, injected humor into the otherwise intensely somber universe of politics. Although there have been others who followed in his stead—fellow impersonator Jon Santos is the most obvious name that comes to mind—his ability to not only physically manifest the people he is imitating, but to deliver quips and hilarious one-liners in his act but still manage to keep it dignified and respectful has never been surpassed or even equaled. And in today’s hyper-woke society, where the slightest joke could offend and potentially “cancel” celebrities and ordinary people alike, it’s unlikely anybody ever will.